Busy Busy

There's lots to update! 

I've been busier than ever, at work and at home. Trying to settle everything at work before I go on maternity leave, but new work has foiled some of my winding down plans.  Then took Asher out of his old school early cos there were several cases of HFMD, and I didn't want him contracting it, especially since he was gonna be moving to a new school soon.  Didn't want him bringing any viruses over.  Then needed to take leave to help Asher adjust to his new school.  It's only day 3, but so far seems ok.  The new place has a similar routine to his old school, so he's pretty used to that schedule.  He occasionally still talks about his friends from the old school, which is quite sad for me since I know he's not going back.  I always wonder what he's really thinking in his head.

Anyway, here's a run down of what we've been doing.  If I've time I'll update on them in more detail (will be back-dated).

7 Nov: Josiah's Birthday
12 Nov: Asher's Birthday in School
13 Nov: Asher's Birthday @ Loewen Gardens
14 Nov: Asher's Birthday @ Charlie's Corner
14-16 Nov: Changi Village Staycation
17 Nov: Reuben & Cindy's Wedding - Asher was a page boy!
18 Nov: SSO's Baby Proms
27 Nov: Bob the Builder @ West Coast Plaza
28 Nov: Thomas @ Millenia
30 Nov: Swim date at Sentosa
1 Dec: Asher's new school
3 Dec: Walking with Dinosaurs


whew.

Let me first settle the downloading of pics to my comp!

Baby Jogger City Select Stroller

This is totally drool worthy.  Just saw this stroller yesterday and I can't stop thinking how clever it is!!  I love how the back seat is higher than the front!  The best part, the infant car seat can fit on it too so I can push both boys around at the same time :)  Seems cheaper on US websites, but don't think they ship here.  The store I saw it at sold it for a very steep price.  Sigh...will probably just end up drooling, that's all :(

Check out the specs here, and esp the review about how much can fit into that basket below!!  Shocking!

Shoes For A Cause



Drama

An unexpected development on the home front.  We sent our helper home.  Our instincts proved right.  Won't go into the details here, but suffice to say it was definitely a right decision and we're glad Asher's safe and the house is intact.  It all happened in the span of an afternoon.  So we suddenly found ourselves without help for cooking and other household chores - her areas of responsibility.

Though there's more work to do now that she's gone, the vibe of the house feels better, and I'm feeling happier, even though more tired.  So far even though I still bring Asher for outings, I've managed to cook dinner still, both Asher's and ours, and we're managing to keep up with laundry and the house feels decently clean.  It takes a bit more planning and effort, but so far we're ok.  I usually clean the house after Asher sleeps.  Cooking time involves Asher.  He helps to wash the rice, scoop seeds out from the papayas, etc.  When he can't help directly, he gets to 'mix flour' with empty containers, and 'chop fruit' on a chopping board.  Laundry time also includes Asher.  He enthusiastically helps put the laundry into the machine, and helps to transport the clean, dry clothes to our bed for folding.  Found it adorable seeing him run to and fro the kitchen and bedroom carrying little piles of clothing :)  Think this is healthy for him, but I do wonder if and when the novelty will wear out for all of us. 

We have inevitably had to tweak one house rule - no entering the kitchen.  Since I now have to be in there preparing food and cooking, I can't possibly keep an eye on him when he's running around the living room.  So he joins me in the kichen, either munching on snacks or helping out. 

He does get a bit upset when I can't play with him immediately cos I need to clean up a bit, but I hope he'll get used to it, and I hope I can come up with an even more efficient way of handling things so that such times are minimised. 

The past few days have been challenging, but not unpleasant.  Jon's overseas for a few days, so it's just me and Asher.  Thank goodness his trip straddles the weekend, so I could take a bit of a breather from things cos we usually visit Jon's Dad and my parents.  Even then, I had to head home on Saturday while Asher was napping to clean up the house (I just can't stand a dusty house!).

Not sure what the plan is for when Baby number 2 comes, but in the meantime we're looking around for a part-time cleaner who can also help with ironing (I hate ironing!!!) and perhaps a tingkat service for some of the days.  Of course if all else fails, we could always do what we used to do before we had kids - get food from the market. 

Please pray for energy, strength, ingenuity, and lots of patience!!

Sleepy Batty

Now how often do you get to see something like this?  A little fruit bat flew into my FIL's house the other day, and was so sleepy (cos it was daytime) that all he wanted to do was to find a little corner to sleep. 

Asher was intrigued for a while and patted the little fella (under great supervision, lest he squash the poor bat who's really quite fragile), but since the bat wasn't that responsive, Asher quickly lost interest.

In the end he curled up and kiao kar-ed in the rim of an up-turned plastic tub :)  Quite a cosy and safe spot to sleep in.

Got Juice?

 Asher stole a sip of orange juice from my cup, and ended up paying homage to the 'got milk?' campaign! :)  Showed him his reflection in the mirror and he was so tickled!  After I wiped off his first moustache, he pointed to the cup for a another sip, then pointed to the mirror to look at himself again!  Hilarious! 

Then when I got the orange juice moustache as well he leaned back and gave me this adorably funny grin :)  Here's the two of us with juice uppers.  Somehow, his just turned out so much better!

Pics to Share

Just some pics to share. Actually there are many many more I'd like to upload, but I happened to come across these first, so here they are!



Asher saying, "Maaaamaaaaaa" and bouncing up and down excitedly :)










Needing a haircut. I subsequently cut his hair for the 5th time in 14 months!! Some of the babies I know haven't had a single hair cut! Too much protein??












"This lens cap is mine!"














Caught on camera! Asher munching on his foot in the backseat.












Look at his big grin when he realised he was caught! :)

Box Me In!

We've discovered the joys of online grocery shopping! NTUC Fairprice online is such a convenient way to stock up on non-perishables (esp heavy/bulky stuff like washing detergent, softener, diapers, etc) and dry food (rice, bread, milk powder, breakfast cereal, baby cereal, etc).

To me, the best part is that it'ss all delivered right to your doorstep!

To Asher, the best part is the boxes! If the stuff comes in a big box one day, I'll do it up like a little house for Asher :) So far they all aren't quite big enough. Crossing-fingers for the next order!